Flexible electric heater.



L. G. RHEA.

FLEXIBLE ELBCTBIG HEATER.

APYLIOATIO! IILED 10119, 1909. RENEWED OUT. 12, 1911. v 1,027,763. Patented May 28, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER C. RHEA, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

FLEXIBLE ELECTRIC HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 19, 1909, Seria1 No. 528,878. Renewed October 12, 1911. Serial No. 654,463.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER G. RHEA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Flexible Electric Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrically heated ap liances of the nature of a blanket, bandage, belt or ad designed to be ap lied to the human body or members thereoi for warming them. In a general way such devices have been r0 osed before and my invention is embo ie in particular improvements hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing: Fi re 1 illustrates in plan view one unit of ab anket, parts being broken out to show details of construction. Fig. 2 dia ammatically the scheme for supplying e ectric current to several of such un1ts. Fig. 3 is .a view like Fig. 1 illustrating the invention as embodied in a belt or bandage.

Referring to Fig. 1 the blanket comprises at each side an outer coverin 4 as shown in Fig. 1 of suitable fire roof abric such as is usually employed in lankets of the kind. These coverings are each lined with, sheets of asbestos paper 5, and between these sheets of paper are secured the conductors of. the electrlcity. The characters 6 designate the resistances or heaters which are preferably of German silver. These heaters are shown of diamond form and formed flat or uncoiled; and furthermore the are shown as arranged parallel to each ot er. The heat ers 6 are arranged parallel to the. ends of the blanket unit and their ends are connected at their ends in pairs, as shown, by coils of wrapped insulated copper wire 7 so as to include the heaters in a series electrically. Each of the heaters 6 is entirely incased in an asbestos case 8 which is shown as broken open in Fig. 1 so as to prevent scorching the bedding or burning the patient. The heaters at the ends of the unit are connected in series by suitable coiled wires with an ordinary circuit closing devioe-like a lamp socketat 9. 15 designates stiffening strips of whalebone or other suitable elastic material secured to the blanket to stiflen the unit transversely along the line of the heaters to prevent distortionof the heaters.

Each section thus constructed is provided aroundits edges with a binding strip lO of leatherette or other suitable strong material sewed to the unit, and the longer edges of the unit are provided with hooks 11 and eyes 12 to permitthe connecting of the units to form a blanket of the desired dimensions.

When several of the units are thus connected their several sockets, 9, are connected with an electric feeder cord or wire 13 having plugs 14 to enter the sockets and thus close the circuits. Fewer than all the units in a blanket canbe heated by omitting connection of the feeder wire with them.

In operation the resistances 6 when subjected to the action of a suitable current oi electricity provide the required heat.

In Fig. 3 where the invention is shown as embodied in a belt or bandage the construction is in all essential respects the same, the belt or banda e being merely narrower than a blanket unit. The edge binding and hooks and eyes of the blanket unit are not shown in the belt or bandage construction.

Because the conductor wires in my invention are in the form of coils the devices are very flexible and those wires are not liable to break and injure the patient. This is a serious trouble that I have noted with other blankets. 1

What I claim is:

1. A blanket or covering of the kind described, comprising, in combination, a plurality of separate uncoiled elongated resistance conductors arran ed substantially parallel to each other an united at their ends in series by coiled conductors, said coiled conductors extending transversely to the direction of the resistance conductors, and flexible coverings for said resistances and conductors.

2. A blanket or covering of the kind described comprisin in combination, parallel separate uncoile resistance conductors united by coiled conductors, elastic stifl'ening devices between the uncoiled conductors and flexible coverings for said parts, substantially as described.

LUTHER C. RHEA.

Witnesses BENJ. FINGKEL, MAYME FoARn. 

